Walter wins primary race for sheriff
by Kate Shunney
Berkeley Springs attorney and State Senator Charles Trump IV was elected on Tuesday as the first West Virginia Supreme Court justice from Morgan County.
Trump was unopposed in his candidacy for the state’s highest court to fill the seat to be left vacant by the retirement of Justice John Hutchison, who announced his retirement last year. Trump will fill the position for Division 2 on the court, serving a 12-year term. He earned 3.044 votes in Morgan County.
Election results from all of Morgan County’s 13 precincts were reported around 11 p.m. in the Morgan County Courthouse on a rainy primary election day.
Just 27.4% of registered Morgan County voters cast a ballot in the primary, either through early voting, absentee ballots or precinct voting. A total of 3,743 ballots were cast. Of those, 3,133 were Republican ballots, 549 were Democratic ballots, nine were Mountain Party ballots and 52 were non-partisan.
Judicial office races were settled during the May 14 primary election, and judges will take the bench on January 1, 2025.
Voters also elected Haley Bunn to a full term as a justice on the state’s court for Division 1 after serving as an appointee for four years.
In other local judicial races, Morgan County voters re-elected Greg Miller as Morgan County Magistrate, Division 1. Miller beat out two challengers, Angie Schmidt and Keith Knotts, to retain his seat on the bench. Miller brought in 1,557 votes to Schmidt’s 992 and Knotts earned 841 votes.
Current Sheriff K.C. Bohrer was elected to serve as Morgan County Magistrate for Division 2. Bohrer topped Michael Sullivan and Debbie Ditto in the three-way race. Bohrer led with 1,581 votes over Sullivan’s 1.047 and Ditto’s 775 votes.
Both Miller and Bohrer will take the bench on January 1, 2025.
In other non-partisan election results, former Greenwood principal John Rowland was re-elected to the Morgan County Board of Education for another 4-year term. Voters tapped Chuck Bergen, pastor at Trinity Asbury Church, as a new school board member. Both will take office on July 1. Bergen narrowly beat Dylan Beddow, 1650 to 1611 votes. Rowland earned 1548 votes. Because of the makeup of the Board of Education, either Bergen or Beddow could have been elected from their district, but not both.
Five judges were elected to serve as Circuit Court judges for the newly formed 27th Judicial Circuit, serving Morgan and Berkeley counties. Sitting judges Michael Lorensen, Steve Redding, Debra McLaughlin and Laura Faircloth were re-elected to full terms on the court and Berkeley County Prosecutor Catie Wilkes Delligatti will take the bench as a first-time judge.
Family Court judges for the 23rd circuit, serving Morgan, Hampshire and Mineral counties, were elected to 8-year terms on the bench. Judge Deanna Rock of Keyser was re-elected to a term on the court and Judge Meredith Haines was elected to her first full term on the court. Haines was appointed last year to serve out the remainder of Judge Glen Stotler’s term as Family Court Judge following his retirement.
County voters pick Walter, Miller, Willis
In party primary results, Chief Deputy Johnnie Walter won the GOP primary over Brock Vanorsdale for Morgan County Sheriff.
Walter brought in 1,737 votes over Vanorsdale’s 1,121. Walter will face no opponent in the November general election. The Sheriff’s race was the only contested county-level partisan race.
Republican Prosecuting Attorney Dan James earned 2,345 votes in his re-election bid. Assessor Debbie Weaver pulled in 2,446 votes for her unopposed run to retain her position.
Morgan County voters favored GOP incumbent George Miller to keep his seat in the House of Delegates representing the 90th district, which includes most of Morgan County and part of Berkeley County. Miller beat out political newcomer Mike Riccio in the primary in Morgan County, pulling in 1,805 votes over Riccio’s 583. Districtwide, Miller collected 74.8% of the vote to Riccio’s 25.2%.
Voters in the western section of the county cast 383 votes for Republican Darren Thorne in his unopposed GOP primary to retain his seat representing the 89th district, which includes a portion of Morgan County and much of Hampshire County. Newcomer Democrat Allyson Reeves earned 96 votes in her party primary race.
Morgan County voters and voters across the 15th Senatorial District delivered a major upset in the Republican primary for West Virginia State Senate, tapping Tom Willis as the GOP winner over longtime senator Craig Blair, who is the current State Senate president and Lieutenant Governor.
Willis pulled in 1,405 votes in Morgan County while Blair brought in 883. Mike Folk collected 569 votes in Morgan County for his State Senate run. Across the 15th district, Willis pulled in 44.37% of the vote while Blair earned 32.24% and Folk received 23.4% of the votes.
Democrat Anthony Murray earned 449 votes in his party primary seeking the State Senate seat representing the 15th district.
Federal & State races
State voters favored Donald Trump in the Republican primary for U.S. President as all other major candidates have already dropped out of the race. Trump secured 88.38% of West Virginia GOP votes. Trump pulled in 2,691 votes in Morgan County.
Democratic voters favored President Joe Biden in that party’s primary.
West Virginia voters went heavily for current-governor Jim Justice in the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate seat being left open by departing senator Joe Manchin. Justice topped Congressman Alex Mooney in the race easily, securing 61.85% of the vote to Mooney’s 26.55%. In Morgan County, voters tipped to Mooney, giving him 1,300 votes and 1,264 to Justice.
Democrats in West Virginia chose Glenn Elliot as their top candidate for U.S. Senate, casting 45,996 votes for him in that party’s primary.
The Republican primary for candidates seeking the U.S. House of Representatives seat for the 2nd Congressional District (including Morgan County) went to Riley Moore, who earned 45% of the vote with 46,885 votes. Joe Early took a distant second with 20.3% of the vote. Morgan County voters favored Moore with 880 votes but cast 802 votes for Dennis “Nate” Cain as a close second.
Democrats in West Virginia cast 39,695 votes for Steven Wendelin in his unopposed party primary race.
Moore and Wendelin will face off in the November election.
Current Attorney General Patrick Morrisey won the Republican primary for West Virginia Governor, beating out three serious contenders — Moore Capito, Chris Miller and Mac Warner in a strenuous race. Morrisey pulled in 33.28% of the vote with 74,843 ballots cast for him. Morgan County voters also favored Morrisey heavily.
Democrat Steve Williams was unopposed in his party’s primary and earned 89,149 votes. He will face off against Morrisey in the general election in November.
Kris Warner won the GOP primary for Secretary of State with 45.89% of the vote. In Morgan County, voters gave their nod to local pharmacist Ken Reed in that race.
Democrats cast 81,858 ballots for Thornton Cooper for Secretary of State. He will face off against Warner in the general election.
Mark Hunt won the four-way GOP primary race for State Auditor, collecting 74,952 votes.
Democrat Mary Ann Roebuck Claytor won an unopposed primary in her party, earning 84,210 votes. Hunt and Roebuck will face each other in November.
Republican Larry Pack cleared an unopposed primary race for State Treasurer. He will have no opponent in the November election.
Republican Commission of Agriculture Kent Leonhardt survived a primary challenge in his re-election bid, bringing in 50.85% of the vote with 97,590 votes.
Democratic candidate Deborah Stiles was unopposed in her party’s primary for that post, collecting 84,127 votes statewide.
Stiles and Leonhardt will face off in the general election.
John “JB” McCuskey won the Republican primary for Attorney General, to replace outgoing Patrick Morrisey next year. McCuskey topped Mike Stuart, 59.85% to 40.15% in the primary.
Democrat Teresa Toriseva won a two-way race in her party’s primary, topping Richie Robb 52.67% to 47.33%.
McCuskey, the longtime State Auditor, will face Toriseva in the general election in November.
